Saturday, August 28, 2010

Review: Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

The side characters won me over in this book.  The story was interesting and I enjoyed Bryn's journey of discovering the truth of her past, present and future, not to mention her struggle to find her place among both the wolves and humans, but that's not what had me really liking this book.  It was the secondary characters that had my heart and kept me reading.

To start there's Callum.  The Stone River pack's alpha and Bryn's guardian.  Right off I was hooked on him and found myself forgiving him for all his flaws without justification, yep...I had it bad for Callum.  He's strong, smart and after getting to know him you find he does nothing without a reason.  He rescued Bryn when she was just four years old and has been looking after her ever since.  He may not tell her everything but again, he has his reasons and I respect that part of him.  I'll admit at one point (you'll know when you read the book) it was hard not to jump on the "Callum isn't a good guy" bandwagon but overall I just couldn't help but love him.  Did I mention that he's rocking a hot accent to go with everything else? Wow!

Then we've got Dev and Lake, Bryn's two best friends.  Dev is an alpha in the making and a good guy to boot!  He's been by Bryn's side from the day she came to the pack and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.  Lake is one of only a few female werewolves and she's got the spunk to back up her individuality.  The girl is a walking weapon and yet she goes almost nowhere without her shotgun, which she affectionately refers to as Matilda.  You've got to love a girl who's always prepared.  She's fiercely protective of Bryn and is loyal until the end.  She doesn't question Bryn's motives (or at least not too much) but sticks with her without a thought to the consequences.

These characters were unique and unforgettable for me and I can't wait to see them again.  Jennifer Lynn Barnes had a great story to tell and I know there's more where that came from.  A lot of dramatic events took place in this first installment of the series and I can only imagine what Barnes has planned for the rest of the series.

I gave Raised by Wolves 4 shamrocks!!!!



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